


thought you were human but you're just a ghost, a shield of skin and bone

by MagicaLyss



Series: A Sky Full of Stars {Irondad Febuwhump} [9]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Manipulative Quentin Beck, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Peter Parker Needs a Break, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Mess, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Villain Quentin Beck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22965400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicaLyss/pseuds/MagicaLyss
Summary: Febuwhump Day 17 & 18 – Mind Games & Revealed SecretTony grabs the front of Peter’s stupid I Survived My Trip To NYC t-shirt, crumpling the fabric in his grip."Yes, Sir."“Good. Now get out of here. And if I hear that you’ve been snooping around in The Vulture’s business again…”The threat is heard without being said.Peter tries to keep his pace as even as he can as he walks away from Tony, heading towards the door.What Peter doesn’t see as the door closes behind him and he begins his trek back to his apartment, is the flickering holograms and Tony’s face morphing into Beck’s pleased sneer.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: A Sky Full of Stars {Irondad Febuwhump} [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619647
Comments: 6
Kudos: 161





	thought you were human but you're just a ghost, a shield of skin and bone

Peter’s shoulders tense, keeping his eyes downcast.  
  


“Mister Stark-”  
  


“No!” Tony shouts, slamming his fist down on the edge of the roof. “This is where you zip it. You are _not_ going after the Vulture. Ever. You hear me?”  
  


Peter tries his best to hide his flinch, guilt and self-loathing rushing over him. He failed. Again.  
  


“Mister Stark, please-”  
  


Tony grabs the front of Peter’s stupid I Survived My Trip To NYC t-shirt, crumpling the fabric in his grip.  
  


“If you disobey my direct orders again, I’ll do something more drastic than take your suit, you hear me?”  
  


“Yes, sir,” Peter chokes out, blinking back the tears that fill his eyes.  
  


Tony lets go of him, smirking when Peter stumbles back a few steps. “Good. Now get out of here. And if I hear that you’ve been snooping around in The Vulture’s business again…”  
  


The threat is heard without being said.  
  


“Yes, sir.”  
  


Peter tries to keep his pace as even as he can as he walks away from Tony, heading towards the door.  
  


What Peter doesn’t see as the door closes behind him and he begins his trek back to his apartment, is the flickering holograms and Tony’s face morphing into Beck’s pleased sneer.  
  


  
*  
  
  
“I shouldn’t have met him,” Peter says, face crumpling when he finally gets May to stop panicking. It’s a poor explanation but she can’t know he’s Spider-Man. “Meeting your heroes is never as good as you think it’ll be.”  
  


May’s eyes harden briefly, probably preparing herself to chew Tony out for hurting her nephew, but then she watches her kid’s bottom lip tremble as he sits on the couch, shoulders dropping, and her expression softens.  
  


“Whatever he said to you, he’s wrong,” she says, gently carding her fingers through Peter’s curls and rubbing his back. He leans his head up against his stomach, tears slipping down his face. “You’re the best kid I know, baby, and he’s an asshole for hurting you.”  
  


“It’s just- I thought I was doing good, I was trying so hard, and I just- He- I just wanted to do something right and he shouted at me.”  
  


May sighs softly. “You don’t need him, okay? You didn’t deserve that and if I ever see him again, I’ll make sure to give him a piece of my mind.”  
  


That gets Peter to laugh quietly. “Yeah, sure, but I doubt we’ll be seeing him again anytime soon.”  
  


Fingers gentle and careful on his jaw, May lifts his head up to look down at him, thumb running underneath his eyes to catch the tears that fall, and she presses a kiss to his forehead.  
  


“Don’t you go believing Stark that you’re not enough, okay? You don’t need to change a single thing about you for some billionaire asshole’s opinion of you… Well, I could do with you not sneaking out or skipping school, but you know, we can’t have everything, can we?”  
  


Peter doesn’t tell her that because he’s lost the suit, he doesn’t have a reason to sneak out or skip school anymore. He doesn’t tell her that Tony’s been his hero since he was five and Iron Man saved him at the Stark Expo, that he’s been idolizing the hero for even longer. He doesn’t tell her that the words have already sunk into his chest and wrapped around his lungs, planting themselves deep within him.  
  


He doesn’t tell her any of that.  
  


Instead, he settles for a quiet. “I love you, May.”  
  


“Love you too, kiddo. Now, go take a shower and get your homework done. You smell like garbage.”  
  


He laughs quietly and pushes himself. “I know. Goodnight.”  
  


“Goodnight, baby. Please get some rest.”  
  


  
*  
  
  
Homecoming night came faster than imaginable and Peter was _happy_ for the first time in months.  
  


Meeting Tony certainly wasn’t high on his Worst Experiences, but after his uncle, Tony turning out to be cruel and aggressive had Peter’s mental health declining at a steady rate.  
  


But now it’s homecoming and May’s helped him get his tie on straight, and Ben’s old suit jacket is a little too big on his shoulders, and the corsage he bought for Liz is a little bit droopy, but he’s _happy_.  
  


Her mom is nice and offers to drive them to school, full of kind smiles and teasing jokes. Liz’s father died a few years prior and it’s obvious how much they miss him, but Peter doesn’t bother to make any condolences. He knows how little it means to grieving families.  
  


Before he knows it, he’s in the gym of their school, dancing with Liz and MJ and Ned, rolling his eyes when Flash flips them off from across the room.  
  


It’s good. It’s fun.  
  


Peter doesn’t even miss being Spider-Man right now. It’s relieving to just hang out with his friends like a regular high school student.  
  


Until, of course, his phone rings.  
  


“Mister Stark?” Peter asks, ducking into the hallway for some privacy. “What do you want?”  
  


“I know I told you to stay away from The Vulture, but I need your help,” he says. “I’ll text you the address.”  
  


Anger swells within Peter’s chest where the insecurities are buried. “You want me to drop _everything_ for you when you’ve done jackshit for me?”  
  


“Yeah, I do,” Tony says like it’s obvious. “You can pretend to be the hero that you think you are, but I’ve got a lot of leverage here. I know your identity, Parker. I know your friends and family, and I know which villains and criminals want that information.”  
  


“Are you… Are you blackmailing me?”  
  


Tony just laughs, a cold harsh noise that makes the hurt in Peter’s chest swell and seize his lungs. “I’ll text you the address, Parker. You better be there.”  
  


The phone beeps, signaling the end of the call, just as Ned turns the corner.  
  


“Hey, man, you good?”  
  


Peter swallows thickly, turning to his best friend, knowing the pain is shining in his eyes. “I’ve gotta go.”  
  


“Wait, what? I thought-”  
  


“Cover for me, please. I’ll- I’ll text you when I can.” Peter doesn’t give Ned the time to say no, he turns and jogs down the hallway, pulling up the section of lockers to snap his webshooters around his wrists and grab his mask.  
  


“Peter, wait!” Ned calls.  
  


Peter doesn’t let himself turn, doesn’t let himself face Ned. Tony is blackmailing him, and if things go wrong, Ned will be one of the people in the crossfire.  
  


“Tell Liz I’m sorry.”  
  


  
As soon as he’s clear of the school, he webs himself as fast as he can in the direction of the address Tony sent him, ignoring the panic that grips his lungs and the fear that settles in the pit of his stomach. He focuses on swinging.  
  


And before he knows it, he’s reaching an abandoned warehouse outside the city.  
  


“Hello?” he calls out, creeping down the staircase.  
  


The stairway opens up into a big room where Tony’s waiting for him, leaning back against a table.  
  


“Hey, Pete,” Tony says, a grin stretching across his face.  
  


Peter swallows thickly, stopping in his tracks. “Where’s The Vulture? What do you want?”  
  


“Oh, kid, how naïve and stupid,” Tony spits, leaning back with a cold laugh. “There never was a _Vulture_. Or I guess, I suppose there was, but he was hiding in plain sight.”  
  


Tony stretches his arms out and second later, the vulture wings are sliding across his back. He grins at Peter, rolling his eyes.  
  


“You’re- How could you-” The breath catches in Peter’s lungs and he can’t _breathe_. The man across from him, his _childhood hero_ , was the villain Peter was chasing all along.  
  


“I can’t believe I fooled you for so long, Peter. How else do you think I got all that alien tech? It was right there at my disposal? I’m a war profiteer, I always have been. I’m not the hero you thought I was, but at least I’m more of a hero than _you_. You couldn’t even catch _me_ when I was right there in front of you.”  
  


Peter takes an involuntary step back, trying not to make it obvious that tears are filling his eyes behind his mask. He gasps for breath, panic engulfing his lungs like a wildfire.  
  


Tony waves his hands and the wings are pulling off his back, facing Peter. “And now, you’re going to die for being stupid enough to ever think you could be a hero.”  
  


  
*  
  
  
Sobs wrack his body as he stumbles through the sand towards the deserted road ahead.  
  


Tony’s webbed to a few of the crates behind him. He tried to change the course of a plane flying from the Avengers Compound filled with Alien tech and other dangerous equipment, to Stark Towers instead. Peter managed to crash the plane on Coney Island.  
  


But now what?  
  


The only person who knows he’s Spider-Man is Ned, and Tony’s threats are still echoing in his head. The Avengers are away, the perfect time for Tony to strike, Peter supposes.  
  


He has nobody to turn to and he’s so fucking tired.  
  


He’s in the sand before he even realizes his knees had buckled, and he coughs, blood splattering in the sand. The warehouse dropping on him flashes through his head, a cry of pain escaping his throat.  
  


He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know how to fix this.  
  


His phone is shattered, his mask is missing, he’s out of web fluid, he can’t _breathe_. Everything hurts.  
  


The last thing he’s aware of before his vision gives out is somebody stumbling through the sand towards him.  
  


  
*  
  
  
He jerks awake, his nightmares of Tony grabbing his shirt, telling him he’d never be a hero, the warehouse falling on top of him, the plane crashing into the sand, the fires, the vulture claws ripping him into him, playing out in his head over and over again.  
  


“Hey, hey, hey, relax, Spider-Boy.”  
  


He knows that voice.  
  


Shoving himself backwards, he tears the IV from his skin, wild eyes locking onto Tony. He’s sitting in the chair beside Peter, relaxing nonchalantly like nothing had ever happened between them.  
  


“No, no, no, please,” Peter begs, trying to get his feet on the ground but his legs won’t cooperate like they should, a haziness settling on his mind. Tony probably drugged him, shit.  
  


“Woah!” Tony says, lifting his hands, palms up in surrender. “I’m not here to hurt you, kid.”  
  


“You tried to _kill_ me, more than once,” Peter says, gasping for air. Tears are blurring his vision and his hands won’t stop shaking. “Please just- just don’t hurt my family. Please- I-”  
  


Tony’s face falls into something that Peter would’ve thought was confusion if not for the fact that there was nothing to be confused about.  
  


“I’ve been on an undercover Avenger’s mission for the past nine months, kid. We just got back last night. We were staking out a whole bunch of Hydra bases across Europe,” Tony explains slowly. His eyebrows furrow and his mouth is set in a frown. “There was nobody at the crime scene last night but you.”  
  


“You think I did it?” Peter asks, jaw dropping. “After everything you did to me, you think I’m just going to believe you? Just like that?”  
  


They’re in a hospital room. Heart monitor flat behind Peter now that he’s pulled off the tracking pads. His ribs are aching, chest on fire, but he still sits up defiantly, glaring at Tony.  
  


“Honest to god, kid, this is the first time I’m meeting you. I wasn’t allowed any internet while on our mission just in case Hydra could track it, so I’ve barely had the time to look you up.”  
  


Peter tries to stifle the sob, but it still rips its way out of his throat, tears falling steadily after it. “If it wasn’t you, then who was with me? Who looked like you, talked like you, pretended to be you for _nine months_?”  
  


“Fri?” Tony asks after a moment’s hesitation.  
  


“Compiling all video footage with Peter Parker or Spider-Man facial recognition since September of last year,” Friday replies.  
  


A hologram appears in front of them, as Peter draws his knees up to his chest and tries unsuccessfully to get his tears to slow.  
  


There’s a bunch of boring, staticky security camera footage of Peter walking to and from school, of Peter getting a snack at Delmar’s, or of Spider-Man stopping petty criminals, of Spider-Man leaping from building to building.  
  


And then it arrives to Tony picking him up afterschool.  
  


It’s a far away shot, probably one of the school’s security cameras of the parking lot. Tony’s leaning up against a fancy car, arms crossed over his chest.  
  


_“Hi, Mister Stark. What are you doing here?” Peter says, offering a timid smile.  
  
_

_“Came to give my favourite young adult a ride home. I got you something, actually. If you really want to pretend to be a superhero, you need a suit, don’t you? It’s in the back, take a look.”  
  
_

Peter turns to glance at Tony, who’s eyes are surprisingly wide, jaw dropped. “That wasn’t me.”  
  


“I know you think I’m some naïve little kid who doesn’t know anything, but I’m not an idiot,” Peter says.  
  


“No, kid, I swear, that wasn’t me. I was in Europe, without internet, taking down Hydra bases at the time.”  
  


Tony speeds through a bunch more videos until they get to the day of the ferry. The video feed is staticky and the audio is echoing, but it’s obvious enough what’s happening. Video Tony’s hand is grabbing Video Peter’s t-shirt, spitting threats in his face even as Peter tries not to cry.  
  


_“If you disobey my direct orders again, I’ll do something more drastic than take your suit, you hear me?”  
  
_

_“Yes, sir.”  
  
_

_“Good. Now get out of here. And if I hear that you’ve been snooping around in The Vulture’s business again…”  
  
_

The video continues though as Video Peter disappears down the staircase, metal door slamming shut behind him.  
  


And then Video Tony flickers. _Flickers_.  
  


“Holy shit, wait, Fri, pause it.”  
  


The man standing where Tony once was in the video is not Tony at all. He has longer hair than Tony and a full beard, a smile spreading across his face.  
  


“Facial recognition, Fri,” Tony instructs, sitting up in his chair.  
  


Peter doesn’t care though. He doesn’t care who the man really is, doesn’t care how he managed to look like Tony, what kind of motive he had. He _doesn’t care_.  
  


He tucks his legs up to his chest, hiding his face in his face in his knees, and lets out a pitiful whimper.  
  


“Quentin Beck, fired from Stark Industries five years ago for aggressive behavior, helped in the creation of BARF.”  
  


“Holy fuck,” Tony breathes. “Kid?” And then his hand is tentatively on Peter’s shoulder.  
  


Peter flinches, drawing in a shaking breath. “I can’t believe I was so stupid! Nine fucking months and he- he-”  
  


“That’s not on you, kid. Anyone could’ve fallen for tech that good, I mean, it’s _mine_. I just don’t understand _why_?”  
  


Peter lifts his head. “He wanted tech. Alien tech to make weapons. What better way than to pretend to be you? He had access to your tower, he was taking a plane from Avengers Compound and was going to redirect it here. He was using your labs, your technology.”  
  


“But why you?”  
  


“I was getting in his way,” Peter explains, shrugging and ignoring the spike of pain it brings. “I was going after this criminal. This guy everyone was calling The Vulture. That’s when you showed up, or I guess, when Beck showed up. He kept telling me to leave it alone. Until yesterday.”  
  


Tony runs a hand through his hair, further messing it up. “He tried to kill you?”  
  


“He called me when I was at homecoming… Told me he had a lead. Guess he knew you were coming back and needed to tie up loose ends.”  
  


The silence that follows is thick and tense, nobody says a word, staring at Beck’s smiling image frozen on the screen.  
  


Finally, “I’m really sorry, kid.”  
  


Peter shrugs, trying his best to swallow all of the emotions that threaten to spill out. “How do I know you’re real and not just another hologram?”  
  


A frown crosses Tony’s face. He doesn’t seem to have a good answer, but Friday speaks up instead.  
  


“Inventory showed Beck only stole four projectors from R&D after he was fired. All four projectors were found on Coney Island with the plane debris, destroyed beyond repair. No other projectors have been removed from storage.”  
  


All of the energy leaves Peter’s body in one big rush. He offers Tony a smile, one he knows is weary and painful. “Hey, Mister Stark, I’m Peter Parker. AKA Spider-Man.”  
  


Tony catches on easily. “Hi, kid. Nice to meet you.”  
  


“Could I borrow a phone?” Peter asks. He’s sure Ned’s covered for him with May, but he can’t even imagine how worried Ned must be.  
  


“Yeah, of course. And, uh, kid?” Tony says, voice dropping to a tentative murmur. “You wanna, I don’t know, work with me in the lab sometime? I could get a new suit fixed up for you and you could show me how you make that webbing of yours?”  
  


Peter half-smiles, trying to shove down all of the panic and worry and fear that threatens to engulf him. His brain is having a hard time understanding everything. He thought Beck was Tony for nine months. Tony tried to kill him, except it wasn’t actually Tony.  
  


But now Tony’s sitting across from him, a kind smile on his face like it isn’t the same face that sneered and yelled and dropped a warehouse down on him.  
  


It wouldn’t be fair to blame the real Tony for things Beck did as Tony.  
  


“Yeah, sure, sounds cool, Mister Stark.”  
  


  
*  
  
  
(Years later, kidnapped by Nick Fury on his European vacation, he sees through “Mysterio’s” disguise within seconds, recognizing the technology for what it is, knowing Beck’s face like the back of his hand, the same face that plagues his nightmares. It only takes a few days to get Beck behind bars with Tony’s help, his vacation back to normal before anyone notices anything is wrong. But Peter doesn’t think he’ll ever forgot Beck’s face and what the villain put him through. He doesn’t think he’ll ever stop seeing Beck’s version of Tony every time he looks at His Tony. He doesn’t think he’ll ever stop looking over his shoulder, just in case the things around him are all an illusion. He doesn’t think Beck will ever disappear from his head.)  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr](https://lyssismagical.tumblr.com/)


End file.
